Acetic acid bacteria in oenology Authors Albert Mas Maria Jesús Torija Martínez Ángel González Montserrat Poblet Icart José Manuel Guillamón Navarro Abstract Acetic acid bacteria have always been considered the bad microorganisms of oenology; responsible for wine spoiling (vinegary taint). The taxonomy and our knowledge of the metabolism of acetic acid bacteria are rapidly evolving, especially as new molecular biology techniques are applied to this fastidious group of microorganisms, which are still rather difficult to work with. The dramatic change that acetic acid bacteria taxonomy has undergone can be summarized by the transformation of 2 genera and 5 species in 1984 into 10 genera and over 40 species at present. The powerful molecular tools used in taxonomy are not appropriate for frequent use in identification and ecological studies; yet new molecular tools for routine analysis have also been developed. These provide new insights and means of controlling this microbial group. Furthermore, these advances have improved vinegar production; a process where the presence of acetic acid bacteria is essential. The WINEGAR European Project is evidence of these improvements in vinegar production. Downloads Text complet (Català) PDF Published 2008-09-17 Issue 3-4 Section Focus License This work is subject, unless the contrary is indicated in the text, the photographs or in other illustrations, to an Attribution —Non-Commercial— No Derivative Works 3.0 Creative Commons License, the full text of which can be consulted at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. You are free to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work provided that the author is credited and reuse of the material is restricted to non-commercial purposes only and that no derivative works are created from the original material.